Smoke and Shadows
by PyroTori
Summary: There was a night when the blackest darkness invaded and took advantage of the one brought down by a wave of sickness. Inuyasha will not allow monsters to tear his team apart... but do they move too fast? Are they all broken beyond repair? IxM Discontinue
1. Prologue

Inuyasha paced back and forth in front of the cave they were currently staying in, definitely anything but worried. "Well? What's the hold up?! Let's get moving!" he snapped as Kagome emerged. He was almost happy to see her without her usual annoyingly sunny smile.

"We think Myouga got out any poison, but Miroku's still in no condition to travel. You're just going to have to wait." She tossed her head in annoyance, turning to walk away. Her air of knowing better than him was definitely still in place. "And just remember, it's because of you that he got hurt in the first place."

It was partly true. A group of what were apparently humans riding scorpion beasts had attacked him, completely ignoring the others. The monk wouldn't have been stung if he hadn't come to Inuyasha's aid. But any guilt he felt was completely erased by Kagome's comment.

"Because of me! He's the one who ran out there like an idiot when I had it under control!"

He knew what was coming before she even said it. "Sit boy!" And suddenly he was sprawled face down on the ground. "Now Sango and I are going to get something to eat. You stay here and watch Miroku. Inuyasha..." He'd noticed that she had this irritating habit when she was nervous of chewing on her lip when she spoke, making it difficult to understand her. "Be careful. I've got a weird feeling about those scorpion riders. I don't think we've seen the last of them."

He growled slightly in aggravation as the girls and Kilala left, tempted for a moment to leave Miroku alone just because Kagome had told him not to, but even he could see that it wasn't a good idea to get his jewel detector angry at him. He marched into the cave, throwing himself down next to the invalid, and hoped a demon would attack so he'd have an excuse to slaughter something.

Miroku's eyes fluttered as he woke. He stared up at Inuyasha, noticing through the fever-haze that the hanyou's ears were twitching almost worriedly. Girls seemed to like those ears. He shakily reached up and tugged gently at them, idly thinking that he should get himself some demon ears, before drifting back into restless dreaming.

His white-haired companion blinked down at him. Had the monk woken up just to tug on his ears? Ignoring Miroku's bizarre behavior, he turned his attention to the fox demon cleaning the wound on the injured man's neck. "What kind of stinger leaves a mark like that?" he wondered out loud, kicking Shippo aside so he could get a better look at the vivid red burn in the shape of a tribal scorpion. It seemed almost to pulse with dark energy. The monk whimpered slightly, sounding pained, and the half-demon was almost tempted to try to comfort him.

Shaking off any worry he may have felt and replacing it with general annoyance, Inuyasha returned to his spot outside, resting against a boulder. "If he's got himself cursed there'll be more of a delay. I should just let something eat him. And Shippo too." He knew he wouldn't, but it was fun to think it. He did want Miroku to get better; the pervert was entertaining, and useful in a fight. On the other hand, the half-demon was pretty sure that he wouldn't care if Shippo died. While he was on the topic, Myouga could die because he was annoying. He wanted Kagome around for her jewel detecting abilities...

His thoughts continued in this fashion until well into the evening. The girls hadn't returned yet. The hanyou barely noticed; knowing Kagome they were probably at the mall in her time, or keeping away in order to worry him so he'd be her little pet when she returned. The girl had real problems prioritizing, and she was so damn needy! Distracted by idle thoughts of strangling her upon her return, he didn't notice the pale silvery mist flowing across the ground toward him. It wrapped around him, caressing him gently, whispering softly into his ear, and sending him into a deep dreamless sleep. The mist continued forward, crawling into the shadow of the cave, until all that could be seen in the darkness was a pair of ivory fangs.


	2. Blood Ritual

It was well after sunrise when Inuyasha finally awoke, vaguely surprised not to find Kagome beating him with a large stick for falling asleep. She had to be back by now. He was actually vaguely worried when he noted the unnatural stillness around him. The daytime noises of the forest were absent, as if everything had been either killed or terrified into silence. One hand on the Tetsaiga's hilt, he cautiously entered the cave.

It was as if the stone walls had turned to ice, casting a spell of cold throughout the chamber. He could see his breath roll through the deathly still air. Stepping on something smooth and slimy he slipped, hitting his head on the blood-slicked rock and staring into Shippo's unseeing eyes.

The young demon's body had been mutilated, arcane symbols carved into it, though somehow little blood seemed to have been shed. The corpse was cold; he'd been dead for a while, perhaps the entire night. Telling himself that he didn't care, the increasingly worried half-demon plunged further into the cave in search of Miroku. Inuyasha was certain that he would have fled into the inner tunnels and perhaps not been found, refusing to acknowledge the fact that his comrade could hardly move.

The monk was gone, and any grief or worry the hanyou may have felt was replaced by white-hot rage at whatever had taken his injured friend.

Miroku awoke in a small clearing surrounded by deep forest, in a seat carved into the trunk of a huge tree whose myriad branches blocked any light. He could see nothing. A hissing voice wound around him, growling in his ear, "Stay." And he couldn't move. He was blind, frozen, and the all-encompassing darkness was smothering him so that he struggled to breathe. Ebon eyes slowly faded into view, seeming to illuminate the shadows with a slight silver glow, revealing white skin marred by tribal markings. Hisses and growls crept from behind pale lips and fangs, building to a roar and falling suddenly back into silence and shadow as the eyes disappeared.

A fire rose up on either side of him. He was surrounded by the creatures from before, tattooed, nude and savage. Blood dripped from the claws of some to pool on the ground; others lapped hungrily at it. At the front stood their leader. Milk chocolate hair brushed his shoulders. Deep blue eyes flecked with steel gazed coldly down at Miroku. He wore an open cloak made of some demon's pelt, held on by a tie with human eyes in the place of tassels. Elegantly curved fangs protruded from between his crimson lips. A silver mist flowed around him, weaving itself into the shape of a scorpion to match the one tattooed on his bare chest. Arms, chest, and face were decorated in handprints of fresh blood. There was a hunger in the man's eyes that terrified the monk.

There was a wicked grace in his movement as he stalked toward the tree. "We are vampires." He grinned in a way that was not quite sane as he answered the unasked question. "Beasts of the night, niether human nor demon. Bloodsuckers, fierce and wild." He wrapped one hand around Miroku's throat, nails which almost qualified as claws digging into the back of the human's neck. He leaned down and ran his tongue around the curve of the monk's ear, whispering, "You're mine now." With no further warning he sank his ivory fangs into the tender flesh of Miroku's neck.

He drank hungrily from the wound before pulling back to stare down at his victim. Terrified deep violet eyes gazed into blue orbs which were shrouded in fog, as if the beast were far away from his body. Capturing the raven-haired man's mouth suddenly in a brutal kiss, he plunged his tongue into it's depths. The monk could taste himself in that kiss, as well as the sharp, bitter tang of the vampire's blood. He'd bitten his own tongue.

Long nails ran down Miroku's front, slicing through his clothing and leaving bloody trails down his body, closely followed by his attacker's mouth. He wanted to scream, but he could barely draw breath. The creature slid down his captive's front, biting and sucking the sensitive flesh. His followers around them were becoming more agitated, as if in anticipation. Miroku could feel himself slipping. The nails were still there, clawing their way down his thighs. He still couldn't move. His thoughts were fading into confusion. Claws and fangs all over his body. Pain, the worst he'd ever felt, tearing him apart. He seemed to split into a million particles drifting through space, and attached to each one was a vampire. They swarmed over the body of the man who was not quite human anymore, now that their leader had discarded him. He allowed himself to drift away from them, sinking into the welcome relief of unconsciousness.

Inuyasha had been running all day, attempting to track Miroku's strangely elusive scent. It hadn't taken him long to find the girls. They were seated together in a small valley, holding hands, almost seeming to glare at him for disturbing them. Almost, because they had no eyes. Flowers peeked out at him from their empty sockets, and matching daisy crowns perched atop their hair. Their broken weapons sat next to them. It was a strangely peaceful scene. There was no blood. Aside from their eyes they could have been alive. But whatever had killed them had a very sick sense of humor, and the hanyou was more terrified than he'd let on of what could have happened to the monk.


	3. Of Vampires and Bloodlust

Three sheer stone walls rose to an immeasurable height. A rushing stream formed the fourth boundary, protected on the outside by vicious scorpions grown immense. Within, a cavern protected by a silver magical shield was the private room of Kage. Kage. Shadow. The name taken by the head vampire when he abandoned his former life and became this lord of the dead. Few had seen inside his room, and those who were summoned to their master's chamber were never willing to speak of it. A second, transparent shield was used to contain new vampires until their fate could be determined. Most turned out vicious, and they would have to be taught to fear and obey before being released. The rest usually woke up broken. These became Kage's whores.

A small few had the strength of mind and spirit to retain their human personality. These were destined to be the slaves of the other vampires. It was because of them that the stream crossed the entrance; vampires couldn't cross running water. When Miroku woke, he didn't know what was planned for him; that he had been marked because he had shown that strength and the creatures needed a new whore. He was aware at first only of a dull burning in his right hand, which became an unbearable pain as he slowly returned to full consciousness. Without thinking he ripped off his prayer beads, the source of his pain, realizing too late that he'd left his wind tunnel uncovered...

Inuyasha looked on in amazement as the savage creature who'd fought on even after he'd torn it's heart out burst into flame, falling to the ground as a shower of dust with the still-burning arrow settling on top. The small child opposite him dropped her bow and ran forward, dousing the fire with water from a pouch at her side before it could ignite the entire field. She grabbed one of the hanyou's clawed fingers, babbling excitedly as she led him toward her village. "Come on, come on! You're not safe here! You're pretty dumb for a hunter. Come on!"

Miroku stared down at his hand, wonder shining in his eyes, as his cloth gauntlet fluttered to the ground. He could still feel the air rip, but it was covered by a sheath of new skin. Experimentally, he held his palm out and focused on opening the wind tunnel. Instantly the skin parted, releasing the black hole in his hand. With only a thought he brought the skin together again, without even a scar to show where it had split.

"Amazing, isn't it." The former monk whipped around as the smooth, deadly tone of Kage crept into his ears. "The magic will not fade, but the wound is constantly healing. A benefit to being one of us."

The thought filled the new vamp with an irrational anger. "I'm not one of you." He practically growled the words.

"No." Miroku blinked up at the much taller vampire; had the monster just agreed with him? "Not yet. You haven't felt it yet."

"Felt what?" His tone was guarded, as he noticed the creatures pressing against the shield to grin demonicly at him. Moonlight made the fangs around him seem to shine. He hadn't realized it was night; he could see perfectly. He was tempted to check his own mouth for fangs, but not in front of those beasts. Kage's response distracted him.

"The Hunger. You'll know it soon enough. 'Til then..." He waved an elegant hand, dispelling the barrier, then addressed the crowd. "Take him." He vanished into the mass of bodies suddenly swarming Miroku.

Inuyasha spent the night in a small village surrounded by a moat of fire. Thorn branches wound everywhere, and even the children were armed. The people were accustomed to life in the shadow of the Vampyre's Cliffs.

Before he left he received a visit from the village leader, an old woman reminiscient of Kaede. Her hollow voice was haunting. "The vampires were hunting last night, and a sentry did see them return with a dark-haired man in monk's clothing. I must warn you, however, that many hunters have passed through here, and none have returned. Are you still determined?"

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be here!" The half-demon was more impatient than usual. He knew now the identity of Miroku's captors, and just how close to them he was. His need to find and destroy them was almost a physical pain.

She sighed somewhat bitterly, but she was accustomed to encountering people on their way to meet with death. "Then know this. Only fire can kill a vampire. They are able to heal any injury but the vampire's kiss, the bite which turned them. If you are in danger, repel the beasts with a branch of thorn. And be wary even by day, for though the sunlight blinds them they are still deadly. This is all the help I can give. I wish you well, Inuyasha."

"Finally," he growled as he stormed away, armed with a torch and a set of prayer beads; supposedly they would burn any vamp who'd been religious in life. The hanyou had little faith in religion, but he would need all the protection he could get if he had to fight the undead tribe; and he fully intended to kill each one of them if the monk had been harmed.

Miroku lay on the ground, exhausted and battered, mentally if not physically. He had been fed off of and used by an endless parade of beasts until they were struck by the first few rays of morning light. Then, as if on cue, they had hissed defiantly at the sun and thrown themselves to the ground, falling instantly asleep. Kage had been watching from the side all along; he snarled and stormed into his cavern, summoning a meek blond in a collar to follow.

Miroku was suddenly left alone. The unnatural silence pressed in on him, without even the sound of his own breathing to comfort him. The sun burned against his closed eyes, making him feel ill. He had to get out. He was gasping for breath. Strange, the new vamp had thought he didn't need air anymore... He shook his head, attempting to focus on the situation at hand.

He felt his way along the cliff to where it met the stream. There had to be a way out, but he hadn't seen it used. A scorpion clicked at him from the other side; or maybe that was the buzzing in his head. Something wasn't right... He had to get out. If he could tempt one of the immense beasts over, it's bulk might halt the flow of the water. It was probably safe to assume they were flesh-eaters; perhaps they would be drawn by the prospect of a meal. He swept his nails down his own arm, slicing through the tender skin.

The scent of blood overwhelmed him, and he fell to his knees on the cool earth floor. Everything seemed to freeze around him. He couldn't think; in that moment he became an animal. He attacked his own arm, whimpering slightly as sweet crimson life flooded his mouth. His eyes opened and shone a vivid red, as scarlet tears fell to join the flow from his torn skin. He kept the wound open with his fangs; blood dripped down his face.

This is how Inuyasha found him.


End file.
